Previews

America's Army

America's Army has a parade of new releases queued up for this free first-person shooter.

Spiffy:

New maps, weapons, and vehicles!

Iffy:

Major releases and the integration of the UT2004 code base are still a ways off.

You just can't beat a well made, free game. Unless, of course, it's a better well made, free game. The makers of America's Army have seized on this logic and are getting ready to unleash three new versions of the games in the coming year.

Few games have such an interesting history as America's Army. Conceived initially as a recruiting tool for the U.S. Army, the free downloadable title turned out to be a hit with gamers who appreciated its realistic qualities and polish. What has been called the "America's Army Platform" actually has three separate divisions. The public game is what you and I get to play. The Government Training program, however, uses the game to train Army personnel on tasks such as controlling a bomb disposal robot, reacting to ambushes on Army convoys, or driving a new type of vehicle in a way that keeps it from tipping over.

As far as the public game goes, there are three updates on the way: The 2.1 update, the 2.2 update, and a major update called America's Army: Overmatch. Version 2.1 is due out in a few mere weeks, and will include two new maps ("Village" and "Arctic"), as well as new weapons like the Ironside (a bazooka-like weapon) and the Persuant Deterrent Munition (PDT), which is basically a miniature landmine you can drop behind you. Two more map packs are likely to follow as separate downloads a few weeks after 2.1.

The Village map I saw required players to find three weapon caches and highlighted another feature new to the game: The sunflare. No, you read that right. It's a sunflare, as in when sunlight shines directly in your eyes and washes everything out. However, as the America's Army guys showed me, this can actually be an important tactical weapon for snipers who prey on victims who literally have the sun in their eyes.

Version 2.2, due out some time after 2.1, will be a more substantial update that includes the new code base from the Unreal Tournament 2004 engine. This will give the game a new graphical exterior as well as new physics and new possibilities. Also likely to be included with this update is a device called the "Door Breacher," which does pretty much what you'd think it does -- reduce a door to a pile of splinters with a loud and satisfying explosion.

Finally, America's Army: Overmatch will be an even more extensive upgrade that includes all kinds of new features, like drivable vehicles (though probably no aircraft) and nasty new weapons like the Javelin missile and air strikes. Don't expect this update for another year or so, since it's extensive.